Easy Ways to Boost Your Child's Memory

Solomon has a hard time keeping one bit of information in mind while he’s doing something else For example, if he’s helping make spaghetti and the phone rings, he forget he needs to go back and keep stirring the sauce. He often forgets something you told him a while ago.

If your child has the same issue, he might have working memory issues.

Working memory refers to the manipulation of information that short-term memory stores. (In the past, the term “working memory” was used interchangeably with the term “short-term memory.”) It’s a skill kids use to learn.

Here are 5 easy to help your child.

Have them Read Always

Active reading strategies can help with forming long-term memories. Use highlighters and sticky notes. Jot down and have them read aloud. Talking out loud and asking questions about the reading material can also help keep the information in until it sticks.

Play Games That Employ Visuals

There are lots of matching games that can help your child work on visual memory. You can also do things like give your child a magazine page and ask him to circle all instances of the word the or the letter a in one minute. You can also turn license plates into a game. Take turns reciting the letters and numbers on a license plate and then saying them backwards, too.

Just sit

This is a game that involves challenging your child to sit in a chair without moving or fidgeting to see how long he can do it. Another concentration improvement game in this category is ‘Statue!’ Through repeated play, the child’s brain is ‘exercised’ and challenged, which strengthens mind-body connections and improves focus

Make Them Teachers

Being able to explain how to do something involves making sense of information and mentally filing it. If your child is learning a skill, like how to dribble a basketball, ask him to teach it to you. Teachers do something similar by pairing up students in class. This lets them start working with the information right away rather than waiting to be called on.

Remove Gadgets

All gadgets need to be switched off or kept in a different room to avoid distractions. If you need to use a computer to study, make sure that it is used only for studying and nothing else.